A Shove In The Right Direction
by Symphonic Madness
Summary: Ten years after the war, the members of Team Avatar are finally settling down and starting families. Well, accept for a certain waterbender and our favorite Firelord. Iroh and Toph are a little too aware of this fact, and decide to step in and bring them together. Too much awkwardness makes an irritated Toph and an amused Uncle. Features Tokka and Zutara! Rated T for Toph.


**I figured that since I've been such a bad author lately and haven't updated any of my ongoing stories in a while, that I would surprise you, dear readers, with this little story. It will be multiple chapters, but as I am also working on another fanfic of mine (Little Wonders), updates may be slow, but not so much that this story shouldn't be subscribed to. Updates will come, I'm guessing, probably twice or three times a week (that applies to both Little Wonders and this one), depending on how my schedule works out.**

**Just so you all know, this story takes place while Zuko, Katara, Toph, Sokka, and Uncle Iroh are all spending three weeks down at Zuko's house on Ember Island. Aang and his fiancée (an OC of mine), an Earth Kingdom girl turned air acolyte named Kyru, will arrive in two or three days. The rest of the Gaang has already been there for a little less than a week. Ta ta for now!  
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**-Symphonic Madness**

The sun is just beginning to rise on the shores of Ember Island when Toph awakens. She hears the shuffling of feet, and the gentle clinking of teacups, along with the gentle hum of a lullaby. She rolls out of bed and sets her bare feet on the ground, and knows instantly who the intruder in her daughter's room is. She grins. Iroh.

The twenty-two year-old earthbending master gets up off the bed and begins to dress for the day. Toph doesn't even bother trying to be quiet. Everyone in their right mind would know that Sokka is a heavy sleeper, and it would take a lot more than the sounds of his wife dressing to wake him up. Just because she can, she punches his sleeping form in the arm. He gasps, but is quickly overcome by sleep again. Toph snorts in attempted muffled laughter before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

She approaches her daughter's room and smiles at what she "sees". Iroh is in the rocking chair, and is singing a lullaby that's unfamiliar to Toph, but seems to calm her fussy daughter immensely.

_Leaves from the vine_

_Falling so slow_

_Like fragile, tiny shells_

_Drifting in the foam_

_Little soldier boy_

_Come marching home_

_Brave soldier boy_

_Comes marching home_

"Good morning, Toph," Iroh half-whispers. "I didn't expect to see you up this early."

"Likewise," Toph says as she closes the door to her daughter's room.

"I am a firebender, you know. We rise with the sun," Iroh says with a warm smile. He maneuvers the baby in his arms so he has one hand free. He proceeds to take the teacup in his hand and takes a sip. "Ahh. Ginseng Tea. It is my favorite."

"I know, Uncle," the earthbender says sarcastically. "It's not like you haven't said it before."

Iroh ignores the comment and gets up out of the rocking chair. "I think it's safe to say that Kya is asleep. Why don't you put her in her crib, then join me for tea downstairs?"

"Sounds good to me," Toph says with a smile as the old general hands her the sleeping baby.

Iroh leaves the room, tea set in hand, and Toph is left with her daughter. She shakes her head and laughs a little as she thinks of how absurd the life she has now would've sounded to her ten years ago. The thought of marrying Sokka, having a child together, and traveling the world with that child was beyond ridiculous.

"I love you, Kya," Toph says. "I know I don't say it much, but I do. You're Momma's pride and joy. And Daddy's, too. Have a nice nap, kid."

She kisses the infant's forehead, and then leaves the room to join Iroh downstairs.

"You know, I've been thinking lately," Iroh says, stroking his long, gray beard. "My nephew's council has been pestering him about the lack of an heir."

"And?"

"Spirits know my nephew has a bit of a hard time with women. I think he might need a bit of a nudge in the right direction."

Toph smirks. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I believe I am. The only dilemma I have come to with this plan is the 'who' factor."

"I think I know the answer to that. She's strong, stubborn, and from what people have told me she's quite beautiful as well. Her bending abilities are like no other, and she has a temper that could rival Sparky's any day."

"So you're saying…"

"Katara."

"Amazing choice, Toph," Uncle Iroh says.

"And I know just how to get them together," Toph says with a devilish smirk on her face. "As you probably already know, Sparky is an awkward mess when it comes to pretty much everything. Sugar Queen, on the other hand, is still awkward, but not as much as Sparky. I figured the perfect way we could get the two together would be to put them in an awkward situation. Their awkwardness would be directed towards the situation that they're in, and not towards each other."

"What kind of situation were you thinking about putting them in?" Iroh asks.

"I'm going to answer that question in the form of one word: babysitting."

Iroh tries his hardest to muffle his outburst of deep, throaty laughter for the sake of the members of the household that are still sleeping. "Miss Toph, I swear you are a mad genius."

"Great minds think alike, don't they?" she grins.


End file.
